The Embers (10) (Hartford, Connecticut)

Personnel :

Larry Lee (Larry Harper) (Lead)

Richard Wright (Second Tenor)

Bob Fitzgibbon (First/Second Tenor)

Andrew "Diamond" Guimond (Bass)

Discography :

Larry Lee & The Embers (10)
N/A - That Little Girl Was Mine (Relic LP 5085)
N/A - Tremble (acapella) (Relic LP 5085)
N/A - Winter's Romance (Relic LP 5085)
N/A - Wella Wella (Candy) (Unreleased)
N/A - Queen for a lifetime  (Candy) (Unreleased)
N/A - Lover's Night (20th Century Fox) (Unreleased)

Gene Pitney BB & The Embers (10)
1959 - Darkness (Demo)
1959 - Victory (Demo)
1959 - So Tired (Demo)
1959 - Runaway Love (Demo)



Biography :

"Almost made it" surely describes the Embers, another talented group just out of high school from the Frog Hollow section of Hartford. They started singing in '58 and according to Dick Wright, their first real performance was on a channel 18 telethon. The Embers were prominently featured on an amateur show at the state set up by Rys in early 1959, along with the Flamingos and Bill Haley & the Comets on the regular bill.

They Rehearsed in the bathroom of Rys' John Paul Agency on Main Street downtown, perfecting "Wella Wella" and "Queen for a lifetime" for Candy records in Hartford. Unfortunately, they were never issued by Candy, nor was the subsequent "Lover's Night," recorded in new York city for 20th Century Fox Records. The Embers sang their share of benefits and promotions, including Rys' short-lived "Shangri-La," billed as a "Teenage Paradise" at 26 1/2 High Street in Hartford on December 18-19, 1959.

   
Gene Pitney

They waxed demos at Soyka's studio in Somers and, according to Wright, were ready to back Larry Lee on his Mz session but the group broke up two weeks before the date was held in October, 1959. Andrew "Diamond" Guimond  left the Embers after the aborted "Lover's Night", and, at some point, was replaced by jesse Cavallaro, bass & Baritone (From the Laurels) and John Pattavina. After Larry Harper exited the Embers,he led a new group manageed also by John Rys called the Serenaders. The Embers backing Gene Pitney on four demos.

Songs :

Larry Lee & The Embers (10)


 Tremble


Gene Pitney BB & The Embers (10)

      
So Tired                                        Victory                        Darkness

Runaway Lover

 ...

The Four Chimes  (Chicago) 
aka The Moroccos aka the Moroccans

Personnel :

Ralph Vernon (Lead)

Prayer "George" Kemp (Baritone)

Fred Martin (Bass)

Melvin Morrow (Tenor)



Discography :

1954 - My Easy Baby (United) (Unreleased)
1954 - When Was My Baby Born (United) (Unreleased)



Biography :

Norman Bradford (lead), Prayer "George" Kemp (baritone), Fred Martin (bass), Melvin Morrow (tenor), and Lawrence Johnson (tenor) formed around 1952. 
Johnson dropped out, and Bradford joined the Army. At the last minute, Kemp recruited Ralph Vernon as his replacement.

The first session, in the fall of 1954, did not prove satisfactory. The group who were by then calling themselves the Four Chimes recorded "Easy Baby" and "When Was My Baby Born." United decided to shelve the recordings. The group recruited Sollie McElroy (formerly of the Flamingos) and became the Moroccos.


Songs :

    
My Easy Baby                                 When Was My Baby Born

Cds :

The Sweet Teens (1) (Pomona, Los Angeles, CA)
aka The Ru-Bee-Els aka The Hollywood Chicks aka The Chicks (2)

Personnel :

Elnora Hicks

Betty Hicks

Mary Thomas

Ruth Davis

Discography :

The Sweet Teens (1)
1955 - Don't Worry About A Thing / Forever More    (Flip 311)

The Ru-Bee-Els
1961- I'll Try / Evil (Flip 359)

Kell Osborne & The Chicks (2)
1962 - Little Chick-A-Dee / Do You Mind (Class 302)

The Hollywood Chicks
1962 - Tossin' a Ice Cube / Hey, Little Gigolo (Class 303)

Biography :

The Sweet Teens were a female quartet from Pomona area of Los Angeles. The Members were Elnora Hicks, Betty Hicks, Mary Thomas & Ruth Davis. Although their name was similar to the Six Teens, they never enjoyed the string of recordings and popularity of their successful label mates. Their lone single, "Don't Worry About A Thing" / "Forever More" (Flip 311) went unnoticed in April 1955. The Ballad "Forever More" written by Elnora Hicks and Mary Thomas is a very close female take-off of the Los Angeles classic "The Letter" (Dootone 347) by Vernon Green & the Medallions.

Ruth Davis and The Hicks Sisters reappeared seven years later as a trio with one of Flip's last releases, "I'll Try" / "Evil" issued on Flip 359. The Trio comprised Ruth Davis, Elnora Hicks and Betty Hicks, and their name derived from the first two letters of each of their names. The Ru-Bee-Els also backed Kell Osborne as the Chicks and recorded "Tossin' a Ice Cube" b/w "Hey, Little Gigolo" as The Hollywood Chicks, Both singles released by Class records. Barry White once said that this record was his first professional job in the recording industry - he did the handclaps on "Tossin' A Ice Cube".

Songs:
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

The Sweet Teens (1)

  
Don't Worry About A Thing                           Forever More         

The Ru-Bee-Els

  
I'll Try                                                  Evil

The Hollywood Chicks

  
Tossin' a Ice Cube                                  Hey, Little Gigolo   

Kell Osborne & The Chicks (2)

Little Chick-A-Dee / Do You Mind

...

 
        (paste-up picture ) Crier, McRae, Spencer

The Star Steppers (Bronx, New York)

Personnel :

Arthur Crier

Buddy McRae

Carl Spencer

Discography :

1960 - The First Sign Of Love / You're Gone (Amy 801)

Biography :

Arthur Crier (The Halos), Carl Spencer (The Halos) and Buddy McRae (The Chords), were part of the Star Steppers (as studio background singers). In 1960 they release one single on Amy Records "The First Sign Of Love" / "You're Gone".
http://www.uncamarvy.com/ArthurCrier/arthurcrier.html

Songs :

   
The First Sign Of Love                                   You're Gone     

...

Augie Rios & The Notations (2) (Bronx, New York)

Personnel :

Augie Rios (Lead)

Discography :

Augie Rios & The Notations (2)
1963 - I've Got A Girl / There's A Girl Down The Way (Shelley 181)

Augie Rios
1964 - Augie Stay Home / Lullabye (Shelley 185)
1964 - When You Dance / No One (Shelley 186)

Biography :

Augie was a child actor, appearing on a couple of Broadway stage productions and in one or two TV shows . He had a vocal group called Augie and The Notations & in 1963 they releassed a sinle on Shelley Records "There's a Girl Down The Way" "I'v Got a Girl"

The main legacy of Augie Rios seems to be two Christmas songs issued in 1958 on the Metro label, Donde Esta Santa Claus (Where Is Santa Claus) and its B-side, Ol' Fatso. MGM also issued them on a single in 1964.

Songs :

Augie Rios & The Notations (2)

   
I've Got A Girl                            There's A Girl Down The Way

Augie Rios

   
Lullaby                                      When You Dance


Augie Stay Home


...